This invention relates to an aperture card provided with a microfilm on a window thereof and to a printer for aperture cards which records retrieval information on the microfilm.
An aperture card comprises a microfilm which records image information such as drawings and which is mounted on a rectangular paper sheet. The aperture card has been widely used as it is extremely convenient and handy for recording and managing a large volume of image information separately.
FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a typical aperture card 30 of the prior art having a punch memory section 31 at the left portion thereof which is printed or punched to record necessary information. The aperture card 30 is further provided with a rectangular window 32 at a position in the right thereof which is mounted with a microfilm 33 which has been photographed or duplicated separately via a tape 34. The microfilm 33 stores images 35 in characters, graphics or the like. The conventional aperture cards 30 of this type, however, are detrimental in that the content of images such as engineering drawings, specifications, or parts lists recorded on the microfilm 33 are too small to be read macroscopically, and need an optical reader therefore for magnification. The information retrieved from images such as drawing serial numbers or drawing classification numbers punched or printed on the punch/memorandum section 31 was heretofore separately read by a punch reader or macroscopically for confirmation.
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the prior art manufacturing system of aperture cards wherein the information retrieved from images 40 such as engineering drawings is listed in a list 41 classified under the retrieval codes, and an operator inputs data by referring to the list 41 for converting the retrieval information to the punching code to thereby punches a sheet of paper with the codes to prepare a punched card 42. The operator then sets a fresh aperture card 44 in a punch card duplicator 43 to punch the aperture card 44 with the information which has been recorded in perforation on the punched card 42. The operator mounts thus prepared aperture card 45 on a printer 46 to print necessary information on the card at the punch/memorandum section 31 to finally prepare an aperture card 47. In a procedure parallel to the retrieval information, the images 40 are photographically recorded by a means for photographing microfilm on a roll of film 48. The roll of the film 48 is mounted by a mounter 49 on an aperture card 47 which has already been provided with the retrieval codes to complete the aperture card 30 of FIG. 1.
In the conventional manufacturing system for the aperture cards, some mismatching occurs when mounting images correctly on a corresponding card which has been punched or printed even if the operator prepares the retrieval code list by referring to the drawings or images frames. This defect is attributable to the fact that images 35 and retrieval codes of the microfilm 33 are recorded once on separate media and matched. Unless an expert who is familiar with the contents of the images 35 is assigned to the punch or printing process, the mismatching may occur very easily. Moreover, an aperture card sometimes should be duplicated when cards with identical information are to be distributed among plural parties. In the prior art procedure, it is necessary to mechanically punch or print the data on a fresh card for duplication and then photographically copy the film images of the original card. The step for punch or printing is separate from that of photographic duplication to thereby complicate the procedure and run a risk of mismatching between the retrieval information and the images.
There is a mounting demand for a manufacturing system which can correspond the images and the retrieval information of the microfilm which are to be mounted on an aperture card fully in one to one relation and which can correctly print or punch the above retrieval information at the punch/ memorandum section of the aperture card.